Burning Ice
by Shifteraei
Summary: My take on the GrayxNatsu story. Gray takes the opportunity of Ezra and Lucy's absence to make his feelings clear to Natsu. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Duh.

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><p><strong><em>Burning Ice<em>**

"Gray. Your clothes."

Gray turned to face the pink-haired dragon slayer, who stood in the doorway of his room. "It's my room; I don't need clothes, slanty eyes. If it bothers you don't come into my room."

Natsu's face flushed, turning the same colour as his hair. "Whatever," he spluttered. "Ezra told me to tell you that she's going on a S-class quest and she's taking Lucy and Happy with her."

"Why not us?" Gray snarled.

"She said something about us needing to get along better. Anyway, Lucy said we could stay at her place if we liked." With that Natsu turned and ran back down the stairs, away from Gray. Natsu never walked if he could run.

Gray frowned, trying to work out why Ezra would leave him and Natsu when she went off on a quest. Suddenly, something occurred to him. He and Natsu would be alone at Lucy's place. This could be the opportunity he had been waiting for. Gray grinned evilly as he began to plot.

Natsu flopped on Lucy's bed, ready to go straight to sleep after a long day of causing as much trouble at the guild as he could. He was so tired that he didn't see the ice mage hiding in the shadows, biding his time.

"Ice Make: Barrier," Gray whispered. He chuckled as ice formed over the windows and doors, thick enough that it would take time for Natsu to melt his way out, time Gray didn't intend to give him. He stared down at the sleeping fire dragon slayer and sighed. They had known each other since they were kids, both without family, both with issues of their own. They had been enemies that had slowly become friends, until one day, that friendship had changed into something else. But it seemed that it had only changed for Gray. He sat on the side of the bed and though about that day, the day he had realised that not only did he not hate Natsu but he wanted something a lot more than friendship from him.

~_flashback~_

_Gray stared up at the sky. It was the bluest thing he had ever seen, not a cloud in the sky. Today was his day off. His rival/reluctant friend was on a quest with the rest of their team and everything was quiet. He closed his eyes and began to drift, not asleep, but not really awake either, enjoying the feel of the sun against his skin. Even an ice mage is entitled to enjoy a day in the sun._

_A shadow passed across his face, but for some reason, the heat of the sun only seemed the increase. Gray opened his eyes to slits and yelped as he saw two balls of fire diving down towards him. His eyes widened as the insane grin of Natsu come zooming down towards him and he rolled to the side just in time to avoid being flambéed by the flying dragon slayer._

"_What the hell?" He yelled._

_Natsu laughed insanely, rolling around in the sand. "The look on your face!" He sniggered._

_Gray hated when Natsu did stuff like that, which was all the freaking time! But today…today had been Gray's day to relax, the day when Lucy had promised to keep Natsu far away from him. And he snapped._

_Lunging at Natsu, Gray wrapped his hands around the Salamander's neck, tightening until Natsu's laughter was cut off. Natsu's hands clawed at Gray's and the two Fairy Tail mages rolled in the sand, fighting. Natsu covered himself in flame, attempting to force Gray to let go. Gray countered his actions by generating a layer of ice around his body. So engrossed in their fight, they didn't notice the rising tide._

_A wave of lukewarm water rushed over the two boys, filling mouths and noses, making breathing impossible. They froze, and Gray's hands loosened around Natsu's neck. They both panted for breath, skin touching. Gray stared down into black eyes as sensation shot through him lightning fast._

"_Gray!" Lucy yelled, as she raced down the sand dune to where the two boys lay. "Let Natsu go!"  
>Gray took his hands from Natsu's throat, still staring straight into his eyes. His checks began to burn. <em>

"_Gray?" Natsu asked, voice quaking slightly._

_He leapt to his feet. "Stay away from me!" he yelled down at Natsu, before running across the sand, into the trees lining the beach._

_~end flashback~_

That day Gray had hidden in the forest as Natsu had slowly gotten to his feet. He had rubbed the red marks that Gray's hands had left around Natsu's neck and the look of confusion on his face had matched the feeling boiling inside Gray. After that day, Gray had done his best to avoid physical contact with Natsu, while at the same time searching for a way to make him understand the feelings that Gray himself was only just beginning to recognise. This was perhaps the best chance he would ever get to show Natsu the truth, without risking interruption by Lucy, Ezra, or god forbid, Happy. But first, he had to make sure that Natsu would not be able to escape before Gray had managed to plead his case.

Careful not to wake the sleeping Salamander, he gathered Natsu's arms together and used the mage's own scarf to tie his wrists to the bed. Rubbing his hands together, Gray looked down at pink haired boy and smiled lecherously. "Time to get started."

He pressed a cold hand against the warm skin of Natsu's chest and pressed down, the temperature change and pressure waking the sleeping mage.

"Wha-" Natsu started awake, staring up at the ice mage looming above him. He tugged at the scarf binding his arms. "What's going on?"

Gray leaned down, his mouth hovering inches about Natsu's. "It's time," he whispered, his breath caressing Natsu's skin, "it's time to realise that ice can burn as hot as fire."

He closed the gap separating his lips from that of the fire dragon slayer, his breath leaving his body at the feel of his feverish skin and soft mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Is this really necessary at the start of every chapter? Don't own Fairy Tail.**

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><p><em><strong>Burning Ice - Chapter Two<strong>_

Gray licked at the crease of Natsu's mouth in an attempt to get the stubborn mage to open his mouth. His lips were warm and soft and Gray wanted to explore more.

Natsu writhed, trying to free his hands from the fabric tying him to the bed without destroying Lucy's home. Even escaping the insanity that was Gray wasn't worth being murdered by Lucy for burning down her home. Realising that his legs weren't bound, he wiggled until his feet were braced on Gray's bare chest and _shoved_!

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He yelled at the ice mage. "Did you suddenly go completely insane?" He yanked at the bonds holding him, his _own scarf_, for crying out loud, desperately trying to free himself. "Let me go!"

Gray stared down at him, his shock evident in his face. It had never occurred to him that Natsu would possibly show such disgust at something as simple as a kiss, but his emotions, as always were displayed clearly on his face, equal amounts of horror and disgust. Was it the fact that they were both guys, or was it Gray himself who was the cause of Natsu's disgust? Either way, it was obvious that his plan was not going to work. Maybe if he'd approached it in a different way, but he'd really thought that Natsu would understand. He always seemed to understand. He shook his head, and leaned over Natsu, who hissed angrily. "Relax," Gray muttered, "I'm just going to untie you." His fingers felt numb and it was difficult to pick apart the knot tying Natsu to the bed. Finally, the scarf slipped off, piling on the bed. Natsu leapt to his feet and retreated back, staring at Gray as if he was expecting him to try and murder him or something. From the look on his face, you would have thought Gray had tried to kill Happy or something.

"I'm sorry," Gray whispered, moving slowly towards the door, his eyes never leaving those of the dragon slayer. In all honesty, he wouldn't put it past him to try and cremate him on the spot. But Natsu just stood there, staring at him. Gray lowered his gaze and opened the door. Looking back up at the dragon slayer, he bit his lip, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. In the end, he just repeated his earlier apology before exiting the room.

Closing the door behind him, Gray leaned against the wood for a second to catch his breath. Natsu's rejection had hurt more than he had expected. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, he had known it wasn't going to be easy, but for some reason he hadn't expected the lance of pain that had shot through his at Natsu's look of total and utter disgust. He probably hated him now. It was going to take a lot more planning to overcome this new obstacle but Gray wasn't going to give up. He couldn't afford to. There was far too much on the line to be put off by one set back. He walked across the road, already planning his next attempt to make the stubborn fire dragon realise just how important he was to Gray.

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><p>At the window, Natsu watched Gray walk across the road through the thin sheet of near unmeltable ice barricading the window. What the hell had gotten into Gray? Never, in their entire life, had he ever given any indication that he even thought of Natsu as a friend, let alone anything more. And now, all of a sudden, he was tying him up in his sleep and randomly kissing him? Something had to be going on, there had to be something more to the situation than it seemed. Gray was normally so cool-headed, always calm and thinking things through. More than once, Natsu had admired and envied his self-control and ability to think rationally when stressed. So what had led to this sudden attack?<p>

Natsu slumped back onto Lucy's bed, his head in his hands. Gray was in the wrong, not him, Natsu was certain of it. You didn't ambush your friends like that, you just didn't! So why, when he had done nothing wrong whatsoever, did Natsu feel the unpleasant twinge of guilt running through him when he thought of the hurt in Gray's eyes?

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><p>Stick with me, guys. It will get better, I promise. Gray isn't one to take defeat and not fight back. Sorry this one's really short. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Fairy Tail, only wish I owned Natsu and Gray. Instead I'm just borrowing them.**

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><p><em><strong>Burning Ice: Chapter Three<strong>_

Gray ran a hand over his black hair. He had to do something, he'd been avoiding Natsu for almost two days now. Ezra and Lucy would be back soon, and he had do fix this _thing_ before they got back. But how? Even if Natsu was willing to talk to him, what would he say? I'm sorry for tying you to a bed and kissing you, but I wanted to make sure you couldn't run away? Yeah, that would _totally _work. Natsu wouldn't punch him into next week if he said _that_. God! Why was it so freaking difficult?

He got up, pacing around the clearing. He had to do _something_, that was the one thing Gray was certain of. Even if Ezra and Lucy weren't on their way back, he couldn't stand this distance much longer. Ever since they were kids, they had always spend time together, fighting or learning, or sometimes, working and playing together, though that often led to more fighting. Gray smiled, remembering all the fights they had gotten into. Natsu really was his best friend and he didn't want that to change, not if this was what happened.

A plan began to form in Gray's mind a plan that would, at the very least, help to restore their friendship, a friendship Gray was only just realising he was dependent on.

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><p>Natsu collapsed onto a bench, resting his head against the table. What was wrong with him? Ever since Gray had gone insane and attacked him at Lucy's house, Natsu had felt like he was on a merry-go-round and couldn't get off. He had the exact same feeling of nausea he got on any moving object too.<p>

He still didn't understand why Gray had done what he had, and since Gray had been avoiding him, he couldn't ask him, leaving him to come up with wild theories on his own. Personally, Natsu was leaning towards the possession theory, as it was the only one that explained Gray's sudden change in character. Still, he wouldn't have to spend all his time thinking about it if Gray would just EXPLAIN what the hell he had been thinking. Even if the answer wasn't something Natsu wanted to hear it would be better than not knowing.

Natsu leapt to his feet, determined. He would find Gray and make him tell him what on earth had possessed him to do something so insane!

He leapt to his feet….and slammed into a cold, hard chest. Natsu turned to look at Gray, getting a good look at him for the first time since he had fled Lucy's house. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, his eyes tired, his black hair messy, like he'd ran his fingers through it over and over again. The worst of it was that he wouldn't look Natsu in the face, as if he was afraid of what he'd see there and again, there was that flutter of guilt, buried deep inside Natsu, just strong enough to make him angry with Gray for doing something so stupid and himself, for feeling guilt about the way he reacted.

"What?" Natsu asked, the one word filled with all the confusion and the anger that had been stewing inside Natsu for the past two days, emotions finally given an outlet, a target.

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><p>Gray flinched internally at the anger in Natsu's voice. This was going to be even worse than he had originally thought. But he couldn't continue like this. Something had to be done, and someone had to make the first move. He just hoped that Natsu would be able to listen and forgive him. "Ummm…. Can I talk to you?" He asked, bracing himself for rejection. Again.<p>

"Not like I can stop you," Natsu said, his voice harsh with emotion.

Gray looked around the guild. There weren't really that many people there, just Mirajane tending the bar and Cana drowning the world in beer. But still, that was more people than he wanted to hear what he had to say. "Not here."

Natsu looked suspicious but still, he followed Gray out of the guild. Even though Gray might have ruined their friendship, it appeared that he hadn't completely destroyed the trust between them and for that he was glad.

The two boys walked in silence to the clearing Gray had spent most of his time pacing the past two days. Standing in the middle of the clearing, Natsu turned to face Gray.

"Explain," Natsu hissed through gritted teeth.

Gray hesitated. Where do you begin with something like this? "Well…"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Sorry folks, I just couldn't stop myself. I hate cliff-hanger endings so much so now I'm making everyone else suffer as I have. But, since I already have some idea of what happens next, the next chapter shouldn't be too long. Again, sorry that it's so short, but you know when to stop, where to leave it, and it just can't be fought. Please review, even if you just want to rant at me. I really don't mind, I rant too.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Okay, I was wrong about it not being too long, it took longer than I suspected, all because I hit a few snags down the road. Ah, writers block, how you torment us all. I'm sorry that it's kinda rushed, but I'm going away for a week and a bit, and I'm not going to have any access to computers, so I thought I'd get **_**something**_** up, even if it is just **_**this.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own these guys, I'm just borrowing them. I promise I'll return them intact. Mostly**.

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><p><em><strong>Burning Ice – Chapter Four<strong>_

"Well?" Gray asked hesitantly, eyes down, unable to stand the judgment in Natsu's eyes. It wasn't in his nature to be so hesitant, or to speak his emotions so bluntly, but if there was hatred - or worse, disgust - showing on Natsu face, and if it was there it would show, he didn't think he would be able to stand it.

"All this time?" Natsu asked, something that sounded like disbelief in his voice. "You've felt like that all this time?"

Gray nodded slightly, shoulders twitching involuntarily as he heard Natsu take a step towards him. He braced himself.

Natsu grabbed Gray by the shoulders of his shirt, and yanked him forward. "And you thought," he yelled in his face, "that the best way to show me was by _tying me to a bed_? Asshole!" He lifted one fist and swung, punching Gray in the face. It would have sent him flying if not for Natsu's other hand holding his shirt.

Gray snarled, all his hesitancy gone. He was not about to let Natsu just beat him up without a fight, even if he did deserve it. He was not that passive! He pulled himself out of Natsu's tight grasp, ignoring the tearing sound as his shirt ripped. He dodged Natsu's next blow, and, snarling, launched himself at him, all his pent up anger and frustration, not just at Natsu, but at himself, releasing in a blow that sent Natsu flying.

Natsu slammed into a tree, and slid down it. Before he could get up, Gray was on him, straddling his waist and pinning him down with his hands on Natsu's shoulders. Natsu shoved at his shoulders but couldn't shift him.

"Get off me, pervert!"

Gray ignored his ineffective shoves and lent down right into Natsu's face, watching with interest as his cheeks flushed pink, the same colour as his hair. A sudden insight flushed him, and he leaned in even closer, pressing the skin exposed by his ripped shirt against Natsu's chest, a sly grin making his eyes shine. "Is your problem with me, or with the tying to the bed bit?" He purred seductively.

Natsu's checks heated, and he turned his head, looking away from Gray, avoiding his eyes. He muttered something incoherent and Gray's smile broadened.

"What was that?" Gray lowered his head even further, until his mouth hovered just above Natsu's check, his cold breath a shocking contrast to the heated flesh of Natsu's face.

"Idon'twanttobetiedup," he said in a rush, eyes squeezing shut as what he _hadn't_ said hit Gray like a tonne of bricks.

Rocking back on his heels, Gray rubbed a hand over his eyes. Even though he had thought maybe, still…. Natsu took the opportunity to push him off and scramble to his feet. He looked down at the stunned ice mage, and smiled, offering him a hand up.

Gray placed his hand in Natsu's and let him pull him to his feet. They stood so close together that their chests were almost brushing with each breath. "You….just didn't like being tied up? You weren't disgusted because….of me?"

Natsu bit his lip, and Gray immediately wanted to replace his teeth with his own. "Um….." Natsu hesitated, not sure what to say. "I've always admired you, and then we became friends, and then that day at the beach….. Well I realised that I wouldn't mind if we were more than friends." He stared up at Gray, his face reflecting the swell of emotions that rose within Gray also.

Gray lifted a hand, and rested it gently against the side of Natsu's face, drawing him even closer, pressing their bodies together. Just as gently, he touched his mouth to that of the dragon slayer before him. Natsu's hand came up to burrow into Gray's hair and pull him even closer, increasing the pressure of their mouths, and letting him feel the hardness that was growing between his legs, as heat unlike anything Natsu had ever experienced before running through him. Gray's tongue flicked out to lick the crease of his mouth, coaxing it open.

The tone of the kiss changed in that moment, going from gentle to heated in a split second. They battled for supremacy, their tongues tangling together. Gray swept his tongue around the warm, wet heat of Natsu's mouth, exploring as much of it as he could. His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth and Natsu groaned deeply, breaking away from the kiss.

They panted, their breaths in sync, and their eyes locked. Gray pressed his forehead against Natsu's and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight.

How long they stood there in the moonlit clearing, neither knew. But what they both knew was that they had changed in that moment. The question was, how much?

_To Be Continued…._

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><p><strong>Author's Note: There's still at least one chapter to go. After all, what'll happen when the rest of the team get back? I'm thinking that I'm either going to change the rating to T or I'll add a smutty kind of chapter at the end. Tell me what you think? Please?<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in a week and a bit.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: This chapter is almost pure smut, with just the odd cute moment thrown in and a tiny amount of plot continuation at the end. If you're not interested in smut, first WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? And second, just skip down to the breaker line, you won't miss anything plot wise and you'll skip the yaoi part. Though why would you want to? That's what you're here for, right? You certainly can't be here for the **_**plot**_**. If there actually is one. I've yet to see it. If you find it, let me know.**

**Disclaimer: If only, if only.**

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><p><em><strong>Burning Ice – Chapter Five<strong>_

The door shut behind them quietly, and Natsu looked hesitantly around the room. Now that he'd had some time to think about it, this didn't seem such a good idea.

Gray, sensing his nervousness, gently placed a hand on his shoulder and turned Natsu to face him. "Relax, flame-head, we're just going to sleep, nothing else. I promise not to molest you in the middle of the night."

What worried Natsu was that he actually had to work to convince himself that that was a good thing. Ignoring his concerns, and the little voice in the back of his head that seemed to be yelling 'jump him', Natsu let Gray pull him down to the bed and into his arms.

He didn't know how long they lay there in each other's arms, Natsu's head resting against Gray's shoulder, but what he did know was that despite the chill of the ice-mage's skin, Natsu felt more heated than ever before, and that voice just kept getting louder, yelling over and over again, until Natsu couldn't stand it anymore.

He rolled over and propped himself up over Gray, pressing his lower body, and the growing hardness between his legs against Gray. He stared down into the other boy's dark eyes and saw the flash of heat and longing in his eyes, felt Gray's cock stiffen and rub up against his own.

Natsu licked his lips and stared down at Gray, focusing in on his mouth. He leaned down, and hesitated, his courage suddenly deserting him. They stayed like that for a second, pressed together, mouths hovering just slightly apart, until Gray growled, wolf like, and flipped them over, so he was on top. He arched his back, enjoying the sensation of his hardness rubbing up against Natsu's, but with the material of their pants separating them, it just wasn't enough. He slid a hand in between their wedged together bodies, and down Natsu's stomach, making him flinch at the contact. Natsu reached up and took hold of Gray's head, pulling him down into a fierce kiss.

Hand forgotten for the moment, Gray dived into the kiss, attacking Natsu's warm, moist mouth eagerly. His tongue thrust between the dragon slayer's lips and tangled with his. Their tongues sparred, rubbing against each other and fighting to explore the mouth of the other. Remembering that first kiss in the forest, Gray probed at the roof of Natsu's mouth with the tip of his tongue, exploring the taste and feel of the soft, ridged flesh. Natsu's hips jerked upward at the contact, pushing his erection against Gray's, crushing the hand resting between them. This reminded Gray of his original intentions and he moved his hand downwards, pushing his pants down and taking hold of Natsu's hard, warm cock.

At the sensation of Gray's cool hand around his hot erection, Natsu moaned loudly, flinging his head back, breaking their kiss. He groaned as fingers danced lightly along his length, exploring from the slit in the head to the silkiness of his balls. He shuddered at the waves of pleasure that ran through him at the ice-mage's touch, then cried out, almost losing it completely, as something smooth and hard, oh so very hard, brushed against his cock.

Gray bit his lip, desperately trying to stay in control as he rubbed the tip of his erection against Natsu's. His skin was so silky, and so heated, and it was all Gray could do not to just rut up against him like an animal in heat. He shifted slightly, re-arranging himself so that he could rub more directly against the other boy. A jolt went through Natsu at the increased contact and he shoved a hand downward, wrapping it around Gray's dick. Gray hissed and retaliated, hand tightening around Natsu, sending fire shooting through him. They writhed against each other, the pain of the hard bones of their hands trapped in between only serving to add to the intensity of the pleasure engulfing them, the pre-come leaking from the heats of their cocks the only lubricant to smooth the friction created.

Natsu's hand tightened around Gray as he neared the edge, and he writhed faster, determined to take the other boy with him as he climaxed. Gray snarled as ecstasy shot through him and he bit down hard on Natsu's shoulder. This extra sensation shot Natsu over the edge and he came, convulsing hard. His thick cum spurted out and over Gray's hand, the sensation sending Gray skyrocketing into his own climax.

Exhausted, the two boys collapsed on the bed in a sticky mess, panting. Ignoring the mess surrounding them, and the need to clean themselves up, Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu's limp body and they drifted off to sleep, content, sated and completely exhausted.

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><p>Lucy stumbled back to her home, completely and utterly exhausted. She was looking forward to collapsing on her bed and just sleeping for ages. Why they hadn't taken Natsu and Gray with them, Lucy had no idea, but she for one would have appreciated their help, although, now that she thought about it, not having them there did mean that there was a lot less destruction and half of their reward didn't have to go towards repairs.<p>

She sighed in relief as she reached her house, already half asleep. She opened the door…and froze, unable to believe the sight that met her eyes. Two boys lay entwined in her bed, more than half naked and covered in something she didn't want to think about. She stared and, as one of the boys moved slightly, caught a glimpse of pink hair, realising exactly who it was that lay tangled together in her bed. There was a ringing in her ears, and somewhere in the distance she could hear someone scream, as the world turned dark, and her legs collapsed underneath her.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Shock, horror for poor Lucy, but then, don't you think it would be at least a little shocking to find two boys you knew asleep in your bed when it was really obvious what they had been doing? And okay, yes, the chapters are really short, but for some reason long ones just aren't working with this story. Every time I try, and every time it makes me end it far sooner than I had planned. Forgive me? Anyway, what did you think of the smut? I've never written smut before, so I'm a little nervous about this really. Tell me what you think? Please?<strong>

**It's also a little weird, because I know my **_**DAD**_** read my story Masquerade and it freaks me out that he might read this.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Me only wish. Me do have some of the manga though.**

**Author's Note: So this is the end, folks. I guess it's only right that this is the first chapter fic I ever finish, as it was the first fic I ever wrote. Enjoy.**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Six<strong>_

"Lucy? Luuucccccy?" Natsu grabbed hold of Lucy's shoulders and shook hesitantly. He hadn't thought she would _faint_, in fact, he hadn't really thought about anything. All that had been on his mind was Gray and the things he did to him.

A hand gripped his shoulder, and he looked up to see Gray staring down at him, a concerned look on his face. "Let me try," he said, pulling Natsu to his feet and kneeling down in his place. Natsu let Gray manoeuvre him, and looked around the room to find something to do while Gray tried to wake Lucy up.

Taking a deep breath, Gray began to rub his hands together, generating ice and melting it at the same time. He had gotten a huge shock when he was woken by the terrible scream and the first thing that had crossed his mind was making sure that Natsu was alright, even though he knew Natsu did not scream in terror. He screamed in rage, he even sometimes screamed in fear for his friends, but he never screamed in terror, especially not such a girly scream. Looking around, he had quickly found the source of the noise, seeing Lucy's unconscious body lying in the doorway. It wasn't hard to guess what it was that had caused Lucy's faint, even if that wasn't the reaction Gray would have expected. He would have expected her to get angry or something. Certainly not to _faint_! Natsu had leapt of the bed and had almost been at Lucy's side before he realised that he wasn't wearing any clothes, and had raced back to at least pull his pants on. And he had glared at Gray until he had put his boxers back on.

Gray shook his head, realising that he was just trying to delay the inevitable. He didn't want to wake Lucy up. Until he woke her up, only he and Natsu knew about what had happened, and it was something magical and special between just the two of them. As soon as Lucy woke up, it would be dragged down into the mud of the real world and they would have to explain what it was that was between them. And he was delaying _again_.

Deciding that his hands were suitable cold, Gray reached down and pressed his hands against Lucy's pale checks. She jerked upwards with a shriek, saw Gray close to her and scrambled backwards, hands outstretched to keep him away from her. Natsu moved towards her, mouth opening on a plea, but the horrified look on her face stopped him in his tracks.

"Lucy," Gray began, "we can explain."

She shook her head, seeming to not hear him. Using the door handle for leverage, Lucy pulled herself up to her feet, looking around the room. Her gaze took in the bed, stripped of its dirty, sticky sheets, which Gray had put in the wash as soon both he and Natsu had vacated it, and the clothes still lying on the floor. "Why…" she hesitated, seeming to search for words.

"Please," Natsu pleaded, begging Lucy with his eyes not to be horrified.

"Why?" She asked, betrayal colouring her voice. "Why _my_ bed? Natsu has his own house, so why did you have to do it in _my_ bed?" she yelled at the two stunned boys.

"T…That's what you're upset about?" Natsu stammered. "Not the fact that we…"

Lucy waved her hands wildly, cutting Natsu off mid-sentence. "I don't care what you two do in private, so long as you stay out of _my house_ when you're doing it!" Then she shrugged, and grinned slightly. "Besides, everyone knows that you two like each other, you're so obvious, always finding reasons to be touching each other. I'm just glad that you admitted it to yourselves."

After a moment of shock at the 'everyone knows you like each other,' comment, Natsu grinned happily, and moved towards Lucy, arms outstretched. She held a hand up, stopping him before he got close enough to touch. His face fell, and Lucy was quick to reassure him.

"I am fine with you and Gray being together and everyone else will be too," Lucy said quickly. "It's just that you haven't had a shower yet and you're…"she grimaced. "Sticky."

"Oh." Natsu turned bright pink, his arms crossing over his chest. He looked down at his feet, refusing to look Gray in the eye. Gray just grinned. He wasn't in the least embarrassed about the physical evidence of what they had done last night.

"So," Lucy said, looking around her. "You two should go clean up, and I'm really very tired. I could use some sleep." She hinted, looking at Gray.

"Right," Gray said, getting up and taking hold of Natsu's arm. "We'll let you get some rest." With that he pulled Natsu out of the house, a grin lingering on his face and a gleam in his eyes.

Lucy watched them go, and knew that it was highly unlikely that either boy would be arriving at the guild until much later today. Hopefully she would be there to watch their entrance and everyone's reaction, because while she had been telling the truth that no one would mind Natsu and Gray being together it would, at absolute least, be very interesting to watch. Especially when it came to one particular member of the guild.

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><p>Gray smiled at the small blue ball of the sleeping Happy and lifted him up in his arms. He could hear Natsu in the bathroom, getting the shower started, and it was up to him to remove the possibility of the two of them being interrupted by the winged cat. Happy looked blearily up at him.<p>

"Gray? What are you doing here?" Happy yawned sleepily.

Gray scratched Happy under the chin gently and listened to his contented sigh. The only thing that could make this better for Happy would have been the presence of fish. "Why don't you go and stay with Lucy?" Gray suggested. Knowing exactly where Happy's priorities lay, Gray said the one thing that was certain to convince the cat. "I think she may have some fish that you could have for breakfast."

Before Gray could blink, Happy was gone, flying out the door to Lucy's house, leaving Natsu and Gray all alone. He could hear the water of the shower running and wanted nothing more than to be there, watching the droplets of water running down Natsu bare skin. Letting his clothes drop to the floor, Gray stalked towards the bathroom and froze in the doorway, staring at Natsu. Water cascaded down his body, caressing every inch of him, just like Gray yearned to and his pink hair was plastered to his face, blinding him. Licking his lips, Gray stepped into the shower cubicle, the pulse of the water against his skin mirroring the pulse of his need. He crept towards Natsu, and wrapped his arms around the wet skin of the other boy, pressing his face against the sodden mess of his hair. Natsu spun around in his arms, and rested his hands on Gray's chest, covering his Fairy Tail mark with one hand. A half smile graced his mouth and Gray leaned down to kiss that smile off his face, only to be pulled up short when the pressure of Natsu's hand on his chest increased, holding him back. Gray looked at him in confusion. Why was Natsu stopping him? Hadn't they worked everything out in the clearing?

"No," Natsu said firmly, extending his arm to keep Gray at a distance. Gray frowned at him, and took hold of his wrist.

"Why?"

"Because we both have to be at the guild in the morning." Natsu turned his back on Gray, and grabbed the soap, cleaning off. Hunger in his eyes, Gray watched as Natsu cleaned himself off, copying his movements. Reaching out, Gray ran his hand down Natsu's water-soaked back quickly, savouring the feel of his warm skin.

Natsu spun around and punched Gray's arm. "Don't touch," he hissed, fists clenched. Gray grinned unashamedly. "And you're sleeping on the couch."

His grin faded and he followed Natsu out of the shower, towelling off hastily. "I don't want to sleep on the couch. I want to sleep with you." Gray grabbed hold of Natsu's arm, stopping him from walking away and leaving Gray there alone.

"Sleep on the couch, or sleep in the infirmary," Natsu said, twisting the arm that Gray had grabbed him with around, locking it behind his back.

Gray twisted, spinning around to face Natsu, pulling his arm out of Natsu's hold. He swung at Natsu, and sent him flying. That was all that was needed to spark a fight. With a snarl, Natsu slammed into Gray, flames building around his fists. He punched at him, and Gray ducked, Natsu's fiery fist going over his head, scorching the wall behind him. Gray used the opening to lunge at Natsu, wrapping his arms around him and throwing them both backwards. They landed on the large, soft couch and Gray laughed, his body convulsing against Natsu's.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked, the fire surrounding his hands dying out.

"Now we're both on the couch," Gray chuckled. He manoeuvred them until they were curled up on their side on the couch. Pulling Natsu tight against his chest, Gray closed his eyes. "How about we both sleep on the couch?"

Natsu wriggled until he found a comfortable position in Gray's arms. "Fine," he muttered. "Just keep your hands to yourself."

"Sure thing."

Natsu closed his eyes, and went instantly to sleep, comfortable in Gray's arms. Gray looked down at him and smirked slightly. He hadn't said anything about what would happen when they woke up. But for now he was more than happy to drift off to sleep, Natsu fitting perfectly in his arms, his warmth the perfect counterpart to Gray's cool skin.

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><p>The guild was silent the next morning as Gray and Natsu walked in, Gray's arm casually slung over Natsu's shoulder in a tacit statement of what had happened between them, everyone waiting with baited breath in anticipation of Erza's fury. No one knew how she would react when she discovered what was going on between the two boys, but everyone was fairly sure that it wouldn't be pretty. Either that or she would be completely oblivious and think that the bruises and marks marring their skin were caused by fighting.<p>

Erza looked up at the two boys and got to her feet. The silence was tangible as she moved towards them. She stared at them, and watched the sweat on their faces build.

"While we were away?" she asked, her voice echoing through the guild.

Two heads nodded in perfect unison, but two pairs of black eyes never left her face. Erza stared at them until everyone was sweating, waiting for the explosion that could kill them all. She turned her back to them, and walked over to the bar where the Master Makarov sat, drinking. She extended one hand to him.

He looked up at her, and cocked an eyebrow.

"Pay up," she said, glaring menacingly at him.

Makarov sighed, and pulled a handful of Jewels out of his pocket, placing them in Erza's hand.

"You bet on us?" Gray said in astonishment.

Erza spun around, focusing her glare on him. "Got a problem with it?"

Gray shrunk back, Natsu by his side every step of the way. "No," he whispered.

Erza smiled brilliantly. "Good." She turned around and went back to her table, where a slice of strawberry cake suddenly appeared.

Natsu and Gray looked at each other, and started to laugh. They collapsed next to Lucy, who glared at them, but they had survived Erza and Lucy wasn't scary at all after that. Besides, they already knew that she had no problem with the two of them being together. Happy jumped in front of them and scowled.

"You promised me fish! There was no fish!" Happy glared at Gray, and pouted.

Gray looked into the face of the indignant little blue cat, and laughed even harder. Shoulders shaking, Gray rested his head on the table, his laughter taking on a slightly hysterical note. Natsu snarled, and punched his shaking shoulders.

"What are you laughing about, pervert?"

Head still resting on the table, Gray reached up and took hold of Natsu's hair. He pulled him down, and kissed him thoroughly, in front of the entire guild. When they pulled up for air, everyone was staring at them, Lucy and Happy included. The only exception was Erza, who was far too interested in her cake to notice anything else that was going on.

Natsu looked around at all the people looking at them and began to laugh. Side by side, he and Gray laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

"I think I liked it better when they were fighting." Lucy muttered.

"You have to admit that this is less destructive," Levy said with a shrug.

Lucy watched as the two boys continued to laugh and sighed. Levy might be right, but still… But then, they seemed happy, and as long as they kept their happiness out of her house, she was happy for them. And, looking at their grinning faces, they sure did look happy.

_Fin_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I suck at endings.<strong>

**A big thank you to everyone who reviewed and those that favourited this, or put this story on story alert and an especially big thank you to all that did all three. A huge thanks to my best friend and writing partner, SecretDime and another to kunf'you'z-ed, who was the first to review (other than SecretDime, who doesn't count) and the first to put me on their favourite author's list. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you all enjoyed this story, my first step into fanfiction. I'll let you in on a little secret now. I wrote the first chapter in 2 hours and had absolutely no idea where I was going with this story. All things considered, it didn't turn out too bad. At least, I like to think that it didn't turn out too bad.**


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